“Hey, this service I’m providing is free, you know. If it were a consultancy for a company outside, my hourly rate would be quite high,” he declared boastfully.
She couldn’t help but smile. “I know, thank you.”
Upon hearing her gratitude, he seemed momentarily uncomfortable, deliberately waving his hand dismissively. “No need to thank me.”
She looked at him deeply, softly clearing her throat. “You’re amazing.”
He blinked, surprised that she would praise him so directly. After a moment, he resumed his confident demeanor, patting his chest. “You’re just realizing how strong I am now! But you’re not bad either.”
“Me?” She was taken aback.
He smiled at her. “Opening three restaurants in just a few years, your entrepreneurial story will surely be an example for many. That magazine interview about you should sell well, shouldn’t it?”
She nodded in a daze. “The magazine did call me. They said the response has been good.”
“See!” He grinned triumphantly, as if proud of her achievements. “In a way, you’re a legend too.”
“I’m a legend?” She was even more astonished.
“A girl who grew up in the market, owning three top-performing restaurants in prime locations in Taipei. Isn’t that legendary?” He said seriously.
She felt embarrassed, murmuring softly, “It’s only two so far. The third one hasn’t officially opened yet.”
“It will be successful, just like the first two. I have confidence in you.”
“You… have confidence in me?” She repeated, hardly daring to believe it.
“Yeah, I don’t say that lightly.” He emphasized playfully. “I wouldn’t even say it to those wealthy and powerful big bosses. But to you, Feifei, I admire you.”
“You… admire me?” Her voice trembled, incredulous.
“You’re great! Marvelous!” He raised his thumb, praising her with an English adjective.
Marvelous.
She stared at him, wondering if he was teasing her. Was he joking?
She tried to detect any hint of mockery or jest in his expression, in his eyes, but found none. Though he smiled, he was sincere.
Her heart melted, and she even felt like crying.
She had sworn not to cry anymore, but at this moment, looking at his gentle face and hearing his sincere praise, tears threatened to overflow uncontrollably.
She quickly turned away, hiding her vulnerability from him.
“Why ‘NewYork Ex’?”
Late at night, Qi Feifei and Xin Zhihuan sat on the balcony, opening a bottle of red wine. She had carefully prepared cheese sticks and a few appetizers to accompany the wine, and the two of them shared intimate conversation.
At first, they simply enjoyed the view of the riverside park ahead, chatting about endless topics. Then suddenly, he dropped a sharp question.
For her, it was like thunder on a clear day, stunning her momentarily.
“Why did you choose a name like that for your restaurant?” He looked at her directly, posing a question that had been circling in his mind for a long time. “You’ve opened an American-style restaurant, but the name ‘NewYork Ex’ suggests excluding New York. You know New York is a symbol of America, right?”
“Yeah.” She nodded lightly. Of course, she knew. The city with the Statue of Liberty was the strongest symbol of hope in the minds of Americans.
“If so, why choose this name?” He paused, gazing into her eyes with a hint of ripples. “Is it because of me?”
She bit her lip, remaining silent.
“Is it because I’m in New York, so you deliberately wanted to ‘exclude New York’? Is it because you don’t want to see me?” His tone carried a hint of grievance as he watched her, deliberately pouting and blinking innocently.
Her heart skipped a beat.
This man really knew how to unsettle her heart!
“It’s not like that,” she sighed softly, rejecting his speculation.
“Then what is it? If it’s not because you dislike me, why choose such a name?”
It was because New York represented her unreachable dream.
Choosing this name was a reminder to herself not to yearn for things that didn’t belong to her, and especially not to foolishly desire someone who wasn’t hers.
He was right; excluding New York also meant excluding “him”.
But he didn’t understand the true meaning behind it.
“What? You won’t tell me? Is there something hard to say?”
She remained silent, taking a shallow sip of wine. After a while, she nodded slightly.
“Forget it!” He scoffed lightly. “If you dislike me, just say so. I won’t blame you. After the way things have been between us these six years, it’s understandable if you dislike me.” Follow the newest chapters on novelping . com.
“I told you, it’s not like that,” she weakly protested.
He studied her melancholy expression, his heartstrings tugging. He raised his glass to his lips, allowing the slightly bitter taste to swirl on his tongue, calming his boiling emotions a bit.
“Let’s forget about the past. There’s no point dwelling on it.” He murmured, both consoling her and convincing himself. “But there’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?” She turned to look at him.
He smiled faintly. “Don’t you want to go to New York?”
“What?” She was taken aback.
“You’ve never been abroad until now, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Why not travel abroad? Don’t girls love to travel?”
“I don’t have time.” She sighed bitterly, pursing her lips. “I’ve thought about traveling abroad, but the restaurant keeps me really busy.”
“Do you want to go to New York?” He asked.
She froze.
New York, the city of myriad possibilities, the most magnificent city in America, a place she had once thought she would never visit.
“Do you know when I was working in New York, I often thought of you?”
“You… thought of me?” Her voice trembled, unable to believe it.
“Yeah, often.” He smirked, half mocking. “Every time I discovered a new place or tasted a dish I’d never had before, I would think of you. I wondered what your reaction would be if you saw these things or tasted these dishes.”
Why? She was shocked, staring at him in disbelief.
“At first, I really did think of you all the time. But then I got angry, felt useless, and decided to date different women.” He sipped his wine, recounting a memory that wasn’t beautiful for him. “Gradually, I thought of you less and less, thinking I had finally let go of you.”
Was this a confession? Was he confessing to her?
Qi Feifei was speechless, her heartstrings trembling urgently. Even the hand holding her wine glass trembled slightly.
“Who knew, when I received your divorce notice, that fire inside me flared up again.” He chuckled, his smile containing emotions she couldn’t quite grasp.
“… I’m sorry.” She murmured softly, avoiding his gaze, afraid to see accusing eyes.
He must think she’s selfish, right? She still hadn’t explained the truth about the accident six years ago clearly to him. He must resent her for it!
But she truly didn’t know where to begin. Perhaps she appeared strong and brave on the surface, but deep down, she was more timid than anyone…
“I’m not telling you this for you to apologize.”
Then why?
“Lift your head and look at me, Feifei.” He commanded softly.
She dared not.
“Lift your head.”
She didn’t move.
Seeing her unresponsive, Xin Zhihuan sighed silently, put down his wine glass, and moved to sit forcefully next to her on the same casual chair.
She jumped. “What are you doing?”
He smiled, lifted her with both hands, and placed her on his lap. She panicked and struggled, but he held her slender waist firmly, not letting her move.
“Listen to me.” His lips were close to her ear, warm and gentle.
“Just speak, I’ll listen, but… must it be like this?”
Did he have to embrace her in such an ambiguous manner? It was so embarrassing!
She blushed with embarrassment, her heart in chaos, her breath uneven.
“Listen to me, Feifei.” He tightened his arms slightly, still maintaining this intimate posture to speak to her. “Didn’t you ask me how I’ve been in New York these past few years? I’ll tell you now. Just listen, okay?”
“I… want to listen, but…”
“Then be quiet and listen to me. Don’t move.” He softly coaxed, his sexy breath teasing her, tickling her heart. “If you keep moving, I can’t guarantee what I might do to you.”
It was better when he didn’t speak. Now, she keenly felt beneath her soft buttocks, there seemed to be something hot and hard, and it was getting harder.
This wasn’t good, right? If this continued, something would happen.
She blushed even redder, her heart racing, her breathing fractured.
“You know, Feifei,” he whispered enchanting words in her ear. “Do you know how beautiful autumn in New York is? The leaves turn yellow and red, fluttering in the wind. The sidewalks are covered with fallen leaves, making a rustling sound when you step on them. Can you imagine?”
No, she didn’t want to imagine. She couldn’t imagine. She couldn’t allow herself to have even the slightest inappropriate longing for something she couldn’t attain…
“I love New York’s autumn the most. It’s cool, very comfortable. From my apartment, you can see Central Park, the largest in New York. The autumn woods are romantic, incredibly beautiful.”
Romantic? She couldn’t believe he was using such words to describe the scenery.
“I don’t like New York’s winter though. It’s too cold. Standing outside feels like the wind is cutting through you, and indoors, the heating is often too much, making the air dry and everyone irritable. Especially during blizzards, the traffic is a complete mess, it tests a person’s patience to the limit.”
Was it really that bad?
“But, I really want to see the snow.” She interjected softly.
“I knew it.” He teased with a smile. “You women always think snowfall is romantic. You think the earth covered in white makes the world peaceful and serene.”
Is it not possible?
She couldn’t help pouting. “When it snows, it really feels beautiful!” Looking at photos, looking at paintings, always evoked a sense of longing.
Moreover, living in Taiwan, unless it’s the peak of winter on a high mountain, there’s hardly any chance to see the silver-white snowy scenery.
“Then come to New York and see the snow!”
“Huh?”
“Come with me to New York to see the snow.” His husky voice tempted her. “In a while, it’ll be almost time for the first snowfall. Come with me.”
This didn’t sound like a question; it was almost a command.
He was always so arrogant, so conceited. Qi Feifei mused absentmindedly. She wasn’t angry; she just felt a faint sourness in her heart.
Actually, she wanted to go too, really wanted to, to enjoy the snowy scenery with him…
“If you don’t speak, I’ll take that as a yes.” He was quite presumptuous.
“I—” She glanced back, wanting to speak, but before she could open her lips, he kissed her.
He kissed her, his large hands gently holding her face, kissing deeper, more passionately, his nimble tongue teasing and playing with her.
She couldn’t help but sigh, her cherry lips releasing a bewildering moan.
Listening to those soft moans, his chest quivered, emotions boiling over. His hands became restless instantly, one slipping into her blouse, cupping her soft, full breast, fingertips teasing and caressing her delicate pink bud.
Her whole body suddenly tingled.
Feeling her response, he grew more excited. His other hand lifted her skirt boldly, sliding along her smooth skin, delving into the depths of her thigh.
She was wearing black silk panties. Six years ago, he had told her that he loved seeing women in black silk lingerie, finding it incredibly seductive.
“It’s black.” He chuckled, nibbling her earlobe, deliberately teasing her. “Is it for me, right?”
Oh, he was really narcissistic!
“Who says… it’s for you?” She retorted coquettishly.
“Isn’t it?” Through the silk, he rubbed her with his thumb forcefully, a hint of punishment in his tone. “Tell the truth, isn’t it?”
“It’s not…”
“Is it or isn’t it?” He skillfully kneaded and pinched.
She couldn’t resist, waves of intense sensations surged through her body, causing involuntary spasms, yet she refused to surrender easily. “Just said… it’s not for you, it’s… a coincidence.”
“A coincidence? Do you think I’ll be happy if you say that?” He licked and nibbled her sensitive earlobe.
“It’s… the truth.” She felt so wronged.
“You stubborn woman, looks like I need to teach you a lesson.” He lightly patted her buttocks, a smirk playing on his lips, then lifted her horizontally.
“What… are you going to do?” She stared at him in horror, afraid of falling, hurriedly hooking her arms around his neck.
“Still need to ask?” He replied with a wicked smile, his eyes gleaming mischievously. “I’m going to carry you to bed and thoroughly ravish you…”
This night was going to be very long indeed…